Mount Falcon, rising to 7,841 feet above sea level, guards the eastern gateway to the Front Range outside Denver, Colorado. A short drive from the city, Mount Falcon Park is a popular destination for local residents, attractive hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, and horse riders to its grassy meadows and rocky outcrops. While the Mount …
Rising abruptly from the dry prairielands at the base of Colorado’s Front Range, the ruddy sandstone outcrops at Red Rocks Park are a popular destination in the Denver area. A short drive from the bustling metropolis, Red Rocks feels in some ways like an urban spectacle: the park is most well-known, after all, for its …
Gaining 180 feet in elevation, the Bruin Bluff Trail is a slightly more difficult alternative to the Bear Creek Trail in Lair o’ the Bear Park, roughly five miles west of Morrison, Colorado. Climbing in and out of mostly spruce forests, the meandering path provides views of a sun-soaked valley in Colorado’s Front Range, including …
Continue reading Bruin Bluff Trail Loop (Lair o’ the Bear Park, CO)
One of the easiest mountain hikes in the Denver area, the Bear Creek Trail offers a family-friendly adventure through Lair o’ the Bear Park, which is roughly halfway between Morrison and Evergreen, Colorado. Heading west from the Lair o’ the Bear parking area, the hard-packed trail hugs a gently-flowing stream before entering shady Bear Creek …
Continue reading Bear Creek Trail to Corwina Park (Lair o’ the Bear Park, CO)
Less than a half-hour drive from the heart of Denver, Colorado, Mount Galbraith is a hikers-only park comprising 1,969 acres of sweeping hillsides, deep ravines, conifer forest, and, of course, the summit of the 7,260-foot peak. The 4.2-mile hike described here—including a loop around the mountain—is a popular destination for trail runners and dog walkers. …
Continue reading Mount Galbraith Loop via Cedar Gulch Trail (Mount Galbraith Park, CO)
Alderfer/Three Sisters Park has the look and feel of a local park, populated mostly by trail runners, bikers, dog-walkers, and Evergreen residents on their evening strolls. (On the Saturday evening I visited, a gaggle of high-school girls were filming a skit for their Spanish class.) The rolling foothills and pine-lined meadows at Alderfer/Three Sisters are …
Continue reading Bluebird Meadow – Homestead Trail Loop (Alderfer Three Sisters Park, CO)
Note: This post is the second of two trail descriptions from a blissful October day at Pine Valley Ranch Park, an hour’s drive from the Denver area and a refreshingly quiet alternative to the crowded Jefferson County parks around Evergreen or Morrison. (The first, the 2.1-mile Buck Gulch – Strawberry Jack – Park View Trail …
Continue reading Narrow Gauge Trail – Eastern Section (Pine Valley Ranch Park, CO)
Considering the hundreds of thousands of outdoors-lovers in and around Denver, it should come as no surprise that there is an endless array of parks and trails within a 90-minute drive from the state capital. This includes Arapaho, Roosevelt, and Pike National Forests; more than a dozen state parks; the impressive Denver Mountain Parks system; …
Continue reading Buck Gulch – Strawberry Jack – Park View Trail Loop (Pine Valley Ranch Park, CO)
Live and Let Hike 